The national Japanese soccer team has chosen Pikachu as its mascot for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Polygon reports official sponsor Adidas and rights holder The Pokémon Company announced the team’s choice.

Pokemon X & Y is barely out and already footage of a rumoured Pikachu title has appeared online. The game is said to be coming to 3DS and appears to feature a mechanic that sees Pikachu copying your facial expressions. It’s quite darling and/or terrifying.

Nintendo is a big cold on the whole limited edition 3DS models thing here in Europe, so it’s nice to see that we’re getting the Pikachu yellow edition before the year is through. Check out the packshot and design below.